“Google published research a while ago based on years of data (which they own of course because they track everything) that resulted in the 7-11-4 rule. The 7-11-4 rule says that buyers require 7 hours of engagement, via 11 touch points, across 4 different locations before they’re ready to buy.” (Troy Dean, Agency Mavericks)
I’m still looking for the original source by Google, which everyone quotes, but nobody seems to have. One certainty is that this is doubly true for large and expensive B2B purchases. Purchasers will do extensive research and comparisons, then must justify their evaluation and decision to many stakeholders in their company.
To clarify:
- 7 hours: The amount of time a purchaser needs to spend engaging with a brand’s content
- 11 touchpoints: The number of times a consumer interacts with a brand
- 4 platforms: The number of different platforms or locations where a consumer interacts with a brand
Examples:
- Reading blog posts: A consumer may engage with a brand by reading blog posts
- Watching videos: A consumer may engage with a brand by watching videos
- Email newsletters: A consumer may engage with a brand by receiving email newsletters
- Social media: A consumer may engage with a brand by interacting with their social media profiles
- Reading Case Studies, Whitepapers, and other content: A purchaser will look for social proof and verifiable data to help decide.
Purchasers will move through phases before they are ready to buy:
Engagement must also continue as part of customer retention, which is critical for SaaS sales.
This may appear overwhelming, especially for small companies or startups that lack marketing bandwidth. You can do a few things to ensure that your efforts are headed in the right direction.
- Have a well-defined system and plan that captures all needed activities. You can get some great ideas for that with my complete checklist.
- Take time to audit and refine efforts to fine-tune your engagement.
- Take time to communicate and get stakeholder buy-in so that everyone is on board and on the same page.
- Use a content calendar to plan different inbound marketing and outbound prospecting types.
- Hire freelancers and consultants to fill in the missing pieces.
Did you miss the checklist? Get it here!
Want to have a quick conversation about these things? Talk to me!